Here's To The Fast Times The Times We Felt Alive
by AtNightWeLieAwake
Summary: What happens when Norah Brewer, regular eighteen year old fangirl with a chance, goes out on a date with Jack Barakat of All Time Low?
1. The Fangirl Gets A Chance

My nerves were just as shot as they were when I first met him, maybe even worse. My knees would not stop trembling, my fingers insisted on tapping, and my heart thudded continuously. My aunt kept shooting me concerned glances.

"Norah, you'll be fine. I mean, you obviously impressed Jack enough for him to ask you out, right?"

"I guess so… it's just… what if it becomes something more? That's crazy to me. This is the first first date that every _really _mattered to me."

"Like I said, you'll be fine. Just be yourself. I've been in your position before."

I turned to look at her. "You have?"

"I have. I don't tell this to many people, but I dated one of the guitarists in Def Leppard. It's a long story that I'll tell you later. I don't know how the hell it happened, really."

"It happened because you're… you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I took a good long look at her short, curly blond hair, bright eyes, and fun demeanor. She looked younger than forty. She had always looked younger than what she really was. Aunt Deb had spent her most of her years traveling the world, doing odd end jobs, and staying up all night. She then moved to the one place where she finally felt at home, the beach. She always had a positive way of looking at things. She was always on the move. She never got married. She hardly ever dated. She was a positive role model. And she was much surer of herself when she was my age than I was.

"You're always so… confident. When you were my age, you knew what you wanted in life. You were fearless. You did crazy things."

She returned the look I'd given her moments ago. Her eyes burned right through mine.

"Stand up," she commanded, getting up from the bed herself.

"What?"

"Over to the mirror, now."

I followed her small frame across her bedroom to a full body length mirror by her closet. She stood behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders.

"Take a good look at yourself."

I did as she said, assessing myself. There was nothing new. My long dark hair was the same, my blue eyes looked the same, my curvy body looked the same. Except for all the makeup, the form fitting dress, and the heels, I was the same.

"What do you see?"

I took a breath. "I see a girl who's dressed up and nervous to go out on a date with the band guy she's had a crush on for a years."

"That's not what I see."

"What do you see then?" I asked.

"I see a beautiful young woman who doesn't give herself enough credit. She's confident, but she doesn't know it. She's accomplished so many things already and she's got so much to come. She's already had unforgettable road trips and nights out with her friends. She knows the meaning of life. She knows deep down that she can do whatever she wants. She knows she's going to be successful. She knows this because I tell her so."

I stared at her reflection for who knows how long. And then we were interrupted by the doorbell.

We both jumped.

"That'll be him. I'll go downstairs and let him in. Get your things."

I nodded, my heart pounding harder. Aunt Deb believed in me. I could do this. I grabbed my clutch, my phone, keys, cash, makeup, and camera all ready to go. I took one last look at myself before whispering, "This is it."

I made my way down the stairs, where I heard the murmurs of greeting.

My heart stopped when I landed on the last step and looked up.


	2. First Date

I drove along the highway, squinting at the nearby road signs. I really needed to get new contacts.

My heart pounded as I drove faster, avoiding the near traffic backup in the next lane over. I usually wasn't this nervous before a first date. Sure, I was always nervous, but this one was…different. My palms were growing sweaty. I felt like I was back in high school again. I took a deep breath, coming to a stop behind a Jeep. The words Rian had told me earlier that day echoed in my head. "That's the way I felt when I went on my first date with Cassadee. Maybe that says something. You'll be fine, Jack. You are the original J.B."

Cass and Rian were scheduled to get married late August.

I snapped out of that thought, rolling down the windows, not caring about my hair. I needed fresh air. I punched the play button on my iPod. "First Date" by Blink-182 conveniently came on. I took it as a sign. I didn't care if the world could hear me. Hopefully it would calm my nerves. I started singing at the top of my lungs.

"In the car I just can't wait, to pick you up for our very first date!"

I continued like this all the way until I got down to the beach. The sun felt nice on my skin, and the wind had picked up the scent of sand, salt, and suntan lotion. I took a right at the stop light, just as instructed. I made my way past the BP gas station, going seven houses down on the left. There it was; a turquoise beach house with a Corvette. I had made it.

I parked my SUV behind the Corvette, fixing my hair. I was all good to go. I got out of the vehicle, twirling my car keys around my finger. I could at least appear to be confident even though my stomach felt like it was getting attacked by an army of butterflies. I walked up the steps slowly, ringing the doorbell. It was a minute before an attractive woman with blond hair opened the door.

"Hello," she smiled, "You must be Jack."

I returned the smile, "Yes ma'am. You must be Deb."

"Pleasure to meet you. Come on in!"

I did as I was told, being ushered into the household. It was simple and open, with white walls, bright, modern furniture, and colorful paintings adorning the walls. The highlight of the house was definitely the view. All you could see was the ocean, straight ahead, clear and never ending. The sun was setting, and the colors it made were gorgeous. I was amazed.

"You have a beautiful home. If you don't mind me saying, that's a kickass view."

Deb laughed. "Thank you! And it isn't just a kickass view, it's a badass view."

I nodded, agreeing. "To tell you the truth, I'm kind of jealous of that Corvette."

"You can take it tonight if you want."

"Are you serious?"

"Serious as a heart attack. I mean, why not? You won't kill anyone, will you?"

My first thought was Zack saying, "And we didn't want to die, so we didn't let Jack drive."

"Well, I've never killed anyone before. Does that tell you something?"

Deb laughed again. "Just try not to crash my Corvette."

I grinned, "I won't, I promise."

And then I saw her come down the steps, and my heart stopped.

She was beautiful.


	3. The Adventure

Why was he staring at me like that? Did I have something on my face? Did my hair already start to frizz? Was my dress dreadful? But never mind my dress. Jack Barakat was standing in my aunt's doorway, looking as gorgeous as ever, and waiting for me. I felt like barfing. He had on a gray button down shirt, black skinny jeans, a tie, and a leather jacket. His hair was perfect. His dark eyes were smoldering. I felt dizzy. I held on to the banister for support.

"Hi," I managed to stutter.

"Hi. You look beautiful."

I blushed a deep shade of burgundy. Jack Barakat was talking about me!

"Thank you. You look nice, too," I grinned shyly.

"Well, you two better get a move on. You wouldn't want to be late to that reservation."

I almost forgot Aunt Deb was standing in the room. What reservation was she talking about? Jack hadn't even informed me on what we were going to be doing on this date.

"Right," Jack agreed.

He walked towards me, holding out a hand.

"My lady."

I took his hand, trying hard not to shake. It was warm, and his fingers interconnected with mine nicely. I felt safe. I felt secure. I felt happy.

Aunt Deb slipped a key into Jack's free hand.

"Ready?" Jack asked.

"As I'll ever be," I replied.

"I won't have her out too late, Deb."

"No worries. Be back whenever. Tomorrow, never even, if you want that is."

With that, we both got shooed out the door. Jack smiled at me, and I felt my heart melt. I was going to die before the night was over, I just knew. I was going on a date with a twenty four man that was in a famous band, had dated Holly Madison, and had been around the world. I was going on a date with a very attractive man that was attracted to me. I was going out with my crush I'd had for what seemed like forever. I was going out with a man that may have serious chemistry with by the end of the night. I was going out with a man that I had a serious chance with.

Jack squeezed my hand.

"Let's get out of here."

He pulled me along to Aunt Deb's Corvette.

"Deb gave you permission to use the Corvette?"

"Of course. She doesn't know that I don't know how to drive."

I laughed at the fanbase joke. It never got old.

He opened my door first, and then went around to the driver's seat. I put my seatbelt on as he started the car.

"Wait, Jack, I don't want to die."

He laughed. It sounded like what magic would sound like if magic had a sound. "We're far from dying. The night's just starting."

I smiled, making a mental note to add that to my list of favorite Jack quotes.

"You're right. Speaking of the night just starting, what are we doing? You were being all mysterious about this."

Tall, dark, mysterious, and handsome. I liked that about him. He could be sexy but silly at the same time; serious yet stupid; silent yet seductive. There were many sides to Jack Barakat I'd never seen before. You mostly see his crazy side, not the romantic one. It was really... rad.

"Well, I got us a reservation at La Reve."

"The Dream? I've only dreamt of eating there," I said, laughing at my own pun. "That's where all the huge celebrities go! How'd you do it?"

"Oh, you know, paid the manager a thousand dollars." Jack replied in a fancy voice. "Just kidding. I've got connections. One of my friend's cousin's is the assistant manager. The manager a bit uptight, but he's on vacation right now, so we're all good."

"Wow," I sighed. "You're great, you know that?"

He gave me a grin out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hey, it's not what you know, but who you know."

Oh, Jack's cute words of wisdom.

"Then what are we?"

"I have no idea. It's up to you. You know the area better than I do. This is only my second time here."

"Right. I'll think about it. All I know is that I don't plan to be back by midnight."

"Ooh, the adventurous type."

"That's correct," I said in a sing-song voice.

We were stopped at a light. The traffic was insane this time of year. We could've been halfway to the restaurant by now. I wasn't complaining though. I was stuck with Jack Barakat in a small space. I felt so cool for once, zooming down the highway in a shiny red sports car with a gorgeous guy, dressed up, feeling the breeze on my face, knowing that tonight was going to be one of _those_ nights as I like to call them. _Those _nights are the nights you feel alive. The nights where you focus on nothing except the swelling high inside of you. The nights where you finally feel nights when you know you've got so much to look forward to. _Those _nights.

Jack turned towards me fully, gazing into my eyes. "I like that about a girl."

"I like a guy that likes that about a girl."

I felt my ears turn the wonderful color of tomato. There was an awkward yet pleasant silence until I said, "How about some music?"

"Sure." I pushed the play button on the CD player. It was the Punk Rock mix tape I made for my aunt. "The Adventure" by Angels and Airwaves came on. It fit the scene perfectly. Jack and I smiled at each other, thinking the same thing. This would be a night we wouldn't forget.

The light turned green, and as Jack revved the engine, we started singing.


	4. Poppin' Champagne

She was great. She was so normal… so… herself. Most girls didn't act like that around me when I went out on dates. She said what she would've said in a normal conversation with a normal guy. The fact that I was famous didn't intimidate her. I was intimidated by her though. She came across as confident, or at least she was good at faking it. Her features were striking. And those curves, oh how I loved those curves. I hate that women think they have to be one hundred pounds. No. Women are beautiful because of their curves. Women are women because of their curves.

I loved that she wasn't afraid to sing with me. She actually had a decent voice. I watched as she tapped her feet and hands, the look of pure happiness on her face. There was nothing like a little karaoke before a date on a Friday night. We stayed like that until we arrived at the restaurant, in which a valet took the Corvette without hesitation. She hooked her arm in mine as we strolled into the restaurant. It was lowly lit, with little twinkling lights hanging from above. The design was like Norah's Aunt Deb's house, very simple. But with simplicity comes elegance.

A man dressed in a waiter's uniform came strutting towards us.

"Mr. and Mrs. Barakat?"

I practically felt the embarrassment vibrate off of Norah's body.

"Yes. That's us," I declared. I wanted to mess with her, see what her reaction would be.

"Right this way then."

She was shocked.

"Why did you say that?" she scream-whispered to me as we were lead to our table.

"Why not? Saves breath."

We were sat at table number seventeen, a small booth in the corner lit by candlelight.

"Here are you're menus. Would you be interested in our wine selection?"

Before I even opened my mouth, Norah decided for us with a quick, "Champagne, please."

"That would be great thanks." I answered, looking at the waiter.

He nodded promptly. "Wise choice. I'll bring out our specialty. No charge." He strode away, finally leaving us with some privacy.

"Not a wine girl?"

"Far from it. Never liked it much. I don't prefer champagne either, but I can drink it. I'm more of a liquor girl."

I was surprised. "I'm impressed."

"Yeah, that's what most people say."

"How long have you been drinking? You're only eighteen."

Nice girl with a bad side. I was into it.

"It's kind of a long story…"

Our waiter came around the corner, holding a bottle of champagne. He filled our glasses halfway. "Have you decided on your meals, Mr. and Mrs. Barakat?"

Norah turned bright red again. I grinned. I realized we hadn't even touched our menus.

"What do you recommend?" I asked.

"I recommend the steak. I order it every time."

"Medium-well," Norah said, handing over her menu.

"Same, thank you."

I felt Norah's leg gently press against mine from across the table. Electricity shot up my leg. She didn't move it.

I cleared my throat, shuffling in my seat. "So… I wanna hear how you got into drinking, Miss Illegal."

She giggled. It was so cute. "Well…"


End file.
